GWS captain Toby Greene welcomes No.1 draft pick Aaron Cadman to the Giants. Photo: AAP
There was no shortage of drama on Monday night as the first instalment of the 2022 AFL national draft took place.
A turn up at the top of the order, strong trade offers for Essendon’s top-five pick, Sydney acting as an incredibly mischievous bidder and a few draft bolters were all intriguing storylines that were jampacked into the first 21 selections of this year’s draft.
For much of the year, Brisbane father-son prospect Will Ashcroft was widely tipped to be crowned the No.1 pick.
But instead of making a bid for him right off the bat, Greater Western Sydney decided to honour their man Aaron Cadman with the title.
And it is thoroughly deserved because Cadman has the potential to become a serious menace for opposition backlines for many years to come.
The Greater Western Victoria Rebels product exploded in 2022 to kick 34 goals, earn All-Australian honours and was widely viewed as the best key forward prospect at the draft.
Ashcroft didn’t have to wait long for his name to be called out, though.
Shortly after the Giants secured Cadman’s services, North Melbourne made a bid for Ashcroft, which the Lions gleefully matched.
It also forced the Lions to do some in-draft trading to ensure they had enough points to match bids for both Ashcroft and fellow father-son pick Jaspa Fletcher, which they did when the Bulldogs came knocking for Fletcher at pick 12.
The Lions traded out pick 36 and a future-third round pick to Hawthorn for picks 41, 50, 52 and 63.
Brisbane also gave North Melbourne pick 63 and their 2023 third-round selection in exchange for pick 40.
And it was a very worthwhile undertaking because Ashcroft has all the makings of a star midfielder.
The son of triple premiership Brisbane defender Marcus Ashcroft, Will is a ball magnet who can play a variety of roles on the ball.
There was a reason why he was rated as the best player in the draft by many given his sensational performances throughout the year at under-18 level, averaging 35 disposals a game for Sandringham Dragons.
He also won the Larke Medal as the best player at the national championships representing Vic Metro, averaging 34 touches per match.
After making the Lions pay a handsome price for Ashcroft, the Kangaroos belatedly entered the draft and with the first of their back-to-back picks drafted exciting forward Harry Sheezel at selection three.
An incredibly gifted medium forward, the intelligent Sheezel knows how to kick a goal from almost any situation, and finished with 49 majors across all competitions this year.
But he can also find his own ball, averaging 20 touches a game while winning the NAB League goalkicking with 36 majors for Sandringham.
Joining Sheezel at Arden Street is George Wardlaw, who was taken by the Kangaroos with the very next pick.
Wardlaw is a beast of a midfielder and although hamstring injuries curtailed much of his 2022 campaign, such is his promise that North weren’t put off and had no qualms adding him to their list early on.
Then came one of the more intriguing picks of the evening with Essendon at No.5.
The Bombers had been fielding attractive offers from as many as four clubs, reportedly including finalists Melbourne and the Bulldogs, for their coveted top-five pick.
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But in the end, they weren’t appealing enough for Essendon to part ways with their top selection of the draft, and instead they picked up highly-rated midfielder Elijah Tsatas.
He only played six games for Oakleigh Chargers this year due to a fractured foot, but that was more than enough to prove himself as a star of the future as he averaged 33 possessions a game, showing class and poise in each of his outings.
Gold Coast chose Gippsland Power midfielder Bailey Humphrey with pick six, another Sandringham Dragons product in Cam Mackenzie went to Hawthorn with pick seven and Geelong local Jhye Clark was picked up by the Cats with pick No.8 which they acquired from the Suns as part of the infamous Jack Bowes “salary dump” trade.
Like Clark, Reuben Ginbey won’t have to travel far to begin his AFL career, the East Perth inside midfielder selected by West Coast with pick nine, and completing the top 10 was Woodville-West Torrens forward/midfielder Mattaes Phillipou who was snared by St Kilda.
After Oliver Hollands, Fletcher and Jedd Busslinger were picked up by Carlton (11), Brisbane (12) and the Bulldogs (13) respectively, the first bolter of the night had his name read out as Elijah Hewett was taken at pick No.14 by West Coast.
Even Hewett admitted on the telecast that he was surprised to be taken by the Eagles, saying he “didn’t have much clue” about the Eagles’ intentions.
Following Melbourne’s capture of key forward project player Matt Jefferson from the Oakleigh Chargers with pick 15, Sydney decided it was time to play the role as first-round wrecking ball.
Firstly, they made a cheeky bid for crosstown rival Greater Western Sydney’s academy player Harry Rowston, who was not projected to go anywhere near the top 20.
After an extra spicy, and tense, game of chicken, the Giants finally blinked and opted to match the Swans’ bid and make the consistent midfielder a GWS player earlier than expected.
But if you thought the Swans were done having their fun, you’d be mistaken.
With the very next pick, they made another bid, this time on Adelaide father-son prospect Max Michalanney who, like Rowston, wasn’t expected to be a top-20 player either.
And just like the Giants did before them, the Crows opted to match the Swans’ bid and select Michalanney with pick No.17.
But after all of that, Sydney didn’t even end up using their pick as they ultimately traded it to Hawthorn in exchange for pick 27 as well as future second- and third-round picks. Shenanigans of the highest order from the Swans!
The Hawks would go onto recruit Oakleigh Chargers defender Joshua Weddle who, like Hewett, had “no idea” Hawthorn wanted to recruit him.
Ed Allan, the son of Hawthorn premiership player and Fremantle’s inaugural captain Ben, crossed to Collingwood with pick 19, Gippsland Power small forward Jacob Konstanty headed up to Sydney with the 20th selection, and another bolter completed the first round as slightly-built WA midfielder Darcy Jones made his way to GWS with pick 21.
The remaining 65 picks of the draft will be decided on Tuesday night.
2022 AFL National Draft
1. Aaron Cadman (GWV Rebels) – GWS
2. Will Ashcroft (Sandringham Dragons) – Brisbane (matched North Melbourne bid)
3. Harry Sheezel (Sandringham Dragons) – North Melbourne
4. George Wardlaw (Oakleigh Chargers) – North Melbourne
5. Elijah Tsatas (Oakleigh Chargers) – Essendon
6. Bailey Humphrey (Gippsland Power) – Gold Coast
7. Cam Mackenzie (Sandringham Dragons) – Hawthorn
8. Jhye Clark (Geelong Falcons) – Geelong
9. Reuben Ginbey (East Perth) – West Coast
10. Mattaes Phillipou (Woodville-West Torrens) – St Kilda
11. Oliver Hollands (Murray Bushrangers) – Carlton
12. Jaspa Fletcher (Brisbane Academy) – Brisbane
13. Jedd Busslinger (East Perth) – Western Bulldogs
14. Elijah Hewett (Swan Districts) – West Coast
15. Matthew Jefferson (Oakleigh Chargers) – Melbourne
16. Harry Rowston (Griffith Swans) – GWS (matched Sydney bid)
17. Max Michalanney (Norwood) – Adelaide (matched Sydney bid)
18. Joshua Weddle (Oakleigh Chargers) – Hawthorn
19. Edward Allan (Claremont) – Collingwood
20. Jacob Konstanty (Gippsland Power) – Sydney
21. Darcy Jones (Swan Districts) – GWS
